


the better kind of liking

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 4 + 1 things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Confessions, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Four times when Donghyuck says 'I like you' to Mark platonically, and one time when he means it in a different way.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 8
Kudos: 208
Collections: GOOD ASS FICS





	the better kind of liking

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something that came to my mind last night at 4am when I couldn't sleep :']

**1.**

Donghyuck eyes the black-haired boy sitting next to him.

His name is Mark, they had just introduced themselves. Since they happened to sit next to each other, they have now been assigned as partners for the rest of this course, which lasts around five months.

Mark has dark-brown, kind and innocent-looking eyes, and strikingly high cheekbones. His black hair is slightly mussed up, and there are glasses perched upon his nose. He’s wearing a plain black hoodie and dark blue jeans.

Donghyuck is trying to figure out how to see if he and Mark are going to get along fine. 

“Hey, Mark. Quick, tell me a joke”, he suddenly says.

Mark turns his gaze from his notebook to Donghyuck and blinks a few times. Then his gears clearly start turning and soon he says,

“Why do midgets laugh when they run?”

“Hm?”

“Because the grass tickles their balls”

Mark and Donghyuck stare at each other for a few seconds, before bursting out to a roaring laughter.

“Oh my God! That was so _bad_!” Donghyuck hollers, hints of teardrops shining in the corners of his eyes.

“I know!” Mark laughs, “It’s so bad that it’s already good”

Some other students in the room give them weird looks. Students usually don’t have that much fun on lectures. Also the teacher is looking at them with a slightly fed up expression. The boys try to stifle their laughs.

“I like you, dude”, Donghyuck says after a moment, with a proud voice, like he was giving his approval to the older.

Mark grins at him amusedly. Maybe he knows what Donghyuck was up to,

“Well, I’m glad”

  
~~~~~

  
**2.**

“Donghyuck, get up from the couch and start getting ready”, Jaemin says sternly.

“No, I’m not going. I don’t feel like clubbing and drinking”, Donghyuck says stubbornly and makes no moves to leave his comfortable position on the soft couch.

Unlike people would think based on Donghyuck’s outgoing nature, he’s not actually a huge fan of going out to drink and party. Especially not after a long week of school. Right now, he will much rather just stay in his dorm-room and take it easy; eat something good and watch some TV, maybe catch up with his sleep.

“Don’t be boring”, Jeno, who had already come to Donghyuck’s and Jaemin’s room, complains, “A night out will do you good”

“You know what else does me good?” Donghyuck asks, “Staying home and doing absolutely nothing”

Jaemin is about to say something, when the door of their dorm-room suddenly opens, and Mark steps in.

Donghyuck and Mark haven’t known each other for very long yet, but they’re already way past any awkwardness. It’s completely normal for Mark to just walk into Donghyuck’s room without any warning and vice versa. Though, Donghyuck had earlier texted Mark that he should stop by at any time today.

The older walks further into the aparment and eventually plops down on the couch next to Donghyuck.

“Mark!” Donghyuck exclaims happily.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Mark asks.

“Those mean people are trying to force me to go out and get wasted”, Donghyuck complains.

Mark looks at Jaemin and Jeno surprised, “Why would you force him to go? Isn’t it good if he wants to stay home? He’ll save money and won’t feel like dying tomorrow morning”

Jaemin sighs. He knows he won’t be winning against Donghyuck if Mark is on Donghyuck’s side.

“Besides, staying home after a hard week is much better anyways”, Mark smiles and makes himself more comfortable on the couch.

“I like this person”, Donghyuck grins and cuddles to Mark’s side. _A lot more than you beanheads_ , is the part that he leaves unsaid, but looking at Jaemin’s and Jeno’s expression, they probably know what Donghyuck’s thinking.

“Ugh, fine, be boring together”, Jaemin then says and tugs Jeno moving, “Come on Jeno, let’s leave those grandpas and go have some fun”

Jeno and Jaemin exits the dorm-room, leaving Mark and Donghyuck in their glorious peace. 

Mark reaches to take the computer that’s attached to the television.

“I’ve got a Netflix account. You wanna watch Friends?” the older asks

“Absolutely”

  
~~~~~

  
**3.**

Donghyuck feels like shit. 

He’s cold, yet sweating at the same time, fever running up and down in his body. His muscles feel sore and his nose is running. The constant snotting is making the skin on his nose hurt. And he’s hungry.

Donghyuck is lying on his bed, under the covers, just recently having woken up from a nap. He’s scrolling through his phone when there’s a short knock on the door.

Then the door gets opened and Mark steps in. The older is carrying something with him.

“Hey, Hyuck. How are you feeling?”

“Like crap”, Donghyuck answers curtly.

“Yeah, I ran into Jaemin earlier, he said you weren’t feeling too great”

“Indeed, and yet that devil left me here to suffer alone and went to spend time and go get food with Jeno”

Mark lets out a laugh, “Well, don’t worry, I brought you food”

Donghyuck raises to a sitting position immediately, intrigued by the words brought and food.

“At first, I was gonna bring you soup, because it seems to be what people eat when they’re sick, but then I thought how boring it would be to eat soup, so I brought pizza instead”, Mark explains and opens the pizza box, offering it to Donghyuck to take a slice.

Donghyuck takes a slice, his mouth watering at the sight of the still hot pizza. He takes a bite of the greasy treat. Mark too takes a slice, then setting the box on the table and sitting down on the other end of Donghyuck’s bed.

“Have I ever told you that I like you? Because I really do, you’re the best”, Donghyuck mutters in between chewing the food.

“Oh, don’t worry, I know”, Mark grins and takes a bite of his pizza.

“By the way, did you really think it through before coming here?” Donghyuck asks with a light tone, “You know, you could get sick as well"

“Yeah, well, if I do, then I can just move in here and we can be sick together”, Mark shrugs.

Donghyuck grins and lifts his fist up for a fist bump. He waits until Mark bumps his fist against his and then says,

“Sounds like a plan”

  
~~~~~

  
**4.**

“I’ve come to the conclusion that it might be in my best interest to just pass away”, Donghyuck says.

It’s 2AM and yet he and Mark are still doing school assignments. Donghyuck’s eyes, as well as his brain are filled with thick, sleepy haze and he can’t even think straight anymore. He’s so tired and so, so done.

“Dramatic much?” Mark asks, not even lifting his eyes from his computer screen.

“Shut up”, Donghyuck says with no spite in his voice.

His eyes are already drooping, but he just tries to shake his head and slap his cheeks to stay awake.

“Just this last page anymore”, he sighs quietly and tries to get his thoughts somewhat straight.

Now Mark looks at Donghyuck and his disheveled and half dead form. His eyes soften at the sight.

“You know what? I’ve done that course and assignment before, so I know what it is about. Let me just finish it for you and you can go to sleep”

Mark’s proposition is so sweet Donghyuck could cry.

“Really?” he asks carefully.

“Yeah, yeah”, Mark smiles and reaches to take Donghyuck’s laptop. He saves his own work on his own laptop, closes it and then starts reading through what Donghyuck has managed to write in his paper.

Donghyuck scoots slowly closer to Mark and then hugs him from the side. He rests his head on the older’s shoulder, already closing his eyes.

“I like you so much. You’re a real lifesaver”, the younger mutters sleepily.

Mark just pats Donghyuck’s head lightly and then proceeds to start writing something.

Donghyuck falls asleep like that, leaning against Mark.

  
~~~~~

  
**+1.**

Holy shit.

Donghyuck shoots upright.

He likes Mark.

He _likes_ likes Mark.

Not in a ‘you're a cool dude' kind of way, but in a ‘you make my life so much better and so much happier and I don’t want you to find anybody else ever because I want to be with you’ kind of way.

Donghyuck gets out of his bed. It’s late in the evening, he had been already lying on his bed, ready to for once go to sleep at reasonable hours. But then the realization had hit.

Donghyuck has been lying to himself. He’s been convincing himself that he doesn’t have any other than platonic feelings for Mark, but now he finally realizes that it’s not true.

Seeing Mark and spending time with him makes Donghyuck happy. He spends time much rather with Mark than with anybody else. Mark is there for him and vice versa, and Donghyuck wants it always be like that.

Mark is sweet and funny, he puts up with Donghyuck’s bullshit and makes everything a bit brighter and sweeter. 

And Donghyuck wouldn’t mind kissing him.

“What are you doing?” Jaemin, who’s lying on his bed on the other side of the room, asks.

“I need to see Mark”, Donghyuck says and rushes to the door.

“Don’t you always”, Jaemin mutters when Donghyuck exits the dorm-room.

Donghyuck speed walks along the quiet hallways until he’s in front of the door of Mark’s room. Thank God the older has the room all to himself, if he had a roommate, they probably wouldn’t appreciate Donghyuck barging in at the verge of night.

Donghyuck knocks on the door. It takes a while, but then the door opens and Donghyuck is greeted by the sight of a sleepy Mark.

“Donghyuck?” Mark asks surprised.

“Hey, Mark. Can I come inside? I need to tell you something”

Mark steps aside from the doorway and lets the younger in.

“What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” Mark then asks when they go further in to the room.

“I like you Mark”, Donghyuck just blatantly tells.

Mark’s doesn’t even bat an eyelid, “Yeah, I know, you’ve said it many times”

“No, you don’t get it. I like you Mark. Like, really, really like you. In a romantic way”

Mark stares at Donghyuck for a moment, letting the younger agonize in the fallen silence for a bit too long, before letting out a relieved laugh,

“Oh, thank God! I was so sure I had been completely friendzoned!”

“Huh?”

“You always say how you like me, but it’s always been just platonically. I like you too, so it hasn’t been always too great to hear that”, Mark explains.

“Yeah, sorry about that, I was lying to myself”, Donghyuck grins sheepishly and steps closer to Mark, taking the older hands in his and playing with his fingers a little, “Took me a while to realize that I like you in a different way”

Mark smiles, “So you wanna be my boyfriend?”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes and smiles amusedly, “Well, _duh_ ”

Mark detaches his one hand from Donghyuck and flicks the younger’s nose with his finger, “Brat”, he says.

“You love me~", Donghyuck sing-songs playfully.

Now it’s Mark’s time to roll his eyes. Then he smiles and says, “I wouldn’t go quite that far, but I do like you very, very much”

Donghyuck leans his face closer to Mark’s,

“That’s quite enough for me for now”, he whispers smiling.

Then he presses a soft kiss on Mark’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading ♡


End file.
